|
2nd Largest Continent: Africa is the
second largest continent in the world. (Asia is the largest.) Africa
is three times the size of the continental United States. Measuring
north to south, Africa is 5,200 miles long! At its widest point,
Africa is nearly as wide as it is long.
Rivers:
Africa has five huge river systems. The big three, in order
of size, are the Nile, the Congo, and the Niger.
Oceans:
In spite of its size, Africa has few natural harbors. If
you wanted to visit Africa by boat, you would have to hunt for a safe
place to land. Without a safe harbor, powerful ocean current would
slam your boat into the rocks along the coastline. The Atlantic Ocean
borders Africa to the west, the Indian Ocean borders Africa to the
east, and the Mediterranean borders Africa to the north.
The Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet to border Africa to the
south. Africa is nearly surrounded by water.
Landforms:
Africa has rainforests, grasslands, and is home to the
largest desert in the world, the Sahara. Africa does have a few
mountain ranges, like the Atlas Mountains in the north. These are good
size mountains, but they would appear to be hills if you put them next
to the Alps or the Himalayas. Africa does not have a huge mountain
range.
Prime
Meridian: The prime meridian, which is the imaginary line
that separates the world into Eastern and Western Hemispheres runs
vertically through Africa. Another imaginary line runs horizontally
though Africa – the Equator.
|
|
